Stalkers on the prowl in city

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16

In another incident of stalking, a girl driving home on her scooter was chased, harassed and an attempt was made to abduct her by three youths riding a Volkswagen car on Monday night. The UT police initially registered a case of stalking and wrongful restraint, as done in the Varnika Kundu case, but later added the bid-to-abduction charge.

The police have arrested the three youths for allegedly stalking and trying to abduct the girl, a resident of Sector 40, while she was returning home. The Volkswagen car in which the victim was chased from Sector 36 to Sector 40 has been impounded.

Investigation by the police has revealed that the accused were reportedly drunk when they chased the victim.

The victim, a student, had gone for dinner to Sector 35. While returning, she stopped at a stall in Sector 36 to buy fruits.

The police said the three accused, who were sitting in the car, noticed the girl and started chasing her. The accused also allegedly tried to abduct the victim.

Sources said the victim was chased for around 3 km, but somehow managed to reach home. She informed the police, who reached her home.

Inspector Naseeb Singh, SHO of the Sector 36 police station, said the victim had managed to note down the registration number of the car following which the accused were traced and arrested on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Raj Karan Singh, a resident of Mohali and owner of the Volkswagen car, his cousin Sahilpreet Singh, a native of Ferozpur who had come to Chandigarh to apply for a visa, and Rohit Kamboj, also a native of Ferozpur and staying at a PG in Sector 35 who is taking coaching for bank exams at an institute in Sector 34.

The SHO said the accused were drunk at the time of the incident.

The police initially registered a case under Sections 354-D (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the IPC. However, later realising that it was an abduction bid, the police added Sections 365 and 511 to the case. 

The accused were produced in the court today and remanded in one-day police custody. 

Victim tried to dodge them

Sources said the victim, after noticing that she was being chased by the youths in the car, tried to dodge them. However, the accused kept chasing her. On reaching Sector 40, the victim took a shortcut through a kutcha path towards her home.